Comfort in Sovereignty


October 07, 2020

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As a child, the sovereignty of God was a vague concept that simply served to bring attention to the power of God –that is, He created the universe and exercises control over it. It wasn’t until these recent years (especially with all the preaching in Job) that I came to understand how agreeable  that truth can be, and the amount of comfort that can be found there. I appreciate Psalm 115 because of the way it presents the sovereignty of God in a way that calls us to trust in and worship Him for His “Godness”.

“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” I love this verse because of the simplicity yet strength of the emphasis. To me, this is the crux of the entire psalm: the God we worship is not only beyond our human perceptions, but more importantly in His sovereignty He does what He enjoys. After understanding that the Lord takes pleasure in what is good, righteous, and perfect, the verse is all the more reassuring. In His omnipotent authority, God’s orchestrations are ultimately good, as that is what He delights in, meaning that for the Christian, all things that happen are for our good. So, while Zoom classes and the current state of the university may be a disappointing reality for some, we need to realize that God’s plan has already accounted for this and is known to be good for us. This reminds me of Romans 8:28  while bringing to the forefront of the mind the idea of sovereignty. The idea that God is our help and our shield, as stated in verses 9-11, stems from the fact that the sovereign God does what pleases Him. Thus, the psalmist says, we trust Him for His sovereign power, which is expressed as praise.

This psalm speaks perfectly to me not only in my own circumstances but also with regards to the larger issues that surround us. The sovereignty of God exerts control over all things, ranging from my pre-med pursuits to the political and environmental issues raging across the country right now. It may be easy to despair in a time when Christianity may be ridiculed as medieval and backwards, and more so especially with the current battles the church is facing and will face in the years to come, but we know that our God is a living God who works righteously and all-powerfully – and that is enough.

10.2.2020 Fall 2020 Week Zero

Justin Lau

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